Beane/McD zoom call today at 2pm

[HOUSE]

BE SURE TO DRINK....YOUR.....OVALTINE

 

[bills_fan]

Can we get Ertz already?  lol

[YoloinOhio]

5 hours ago, The Governor said:

This is why a zoom meeting is necessary. You’re not very good at taking a hint. “Temper expectations” is probably a better way to put it.

Maybe next time don’t be so arrogant that you put down a poster who doesn’t agree with your baseless statement 

 

 

[BigdaddyinOrlando]

18 minutes ago, YoloinOhio said:

 

Pretty classy and nice gesture to call Barkley first. Again speaks very highly to the way things are being done here!!

[Cash]

Interesting that both Beane & McDermott are saying pretty emphatically that "we can run with the guys we have".  I missed the initial question, but I wish there was a follow-up.  In multiple games the opposing D put like 5-6 defenders in the box, and we still couldn't run against those defenses.  Would love to know what the FO's plan is to address that if it's not personnel.

[junior]

Just now, Cash said:

Interesting that both Beane & McDermott are saying pretty emphatically that "we can run with the guys we have".  I missed the initial question, but I wish there was a follow-up.  In multiple games the opposing D put like 5-6 defenders in the box, and we still couldn't run against those defenses.  Would love to know what the FO's plan is to address that if it's not personnel.

 

 

I don't think you should take too seriously anything they're saying right now. We're through the first wave of FA and the top DL have signed elsewhere. I'm pretty sure they're not going to come out and say anything other than what you mentioned, effectively showing their cards to the rest of the NFL.

 

[Cash]

McDermott looks deeply unhappy to be having this press conference right now.  This is why I usually keep my camera off during zoom meetings at work!

[YoloinOhio]

 

 

[junior]

Interesting comments on the Bojorquez situation.

 

Essentially, McBeane said Bojo had a good year but they wanted someone who wanted to be here long-term. (Said Bass is a young guy and that they plan on having Ferguson at LS for a long time.) 

 

So perhaps Bojo didn't want to be here over the long haul?

[Logic]

1 minute ago, junior12thman92 said:

Interesting comments on the Bojorquez situation.

 

Essentially, McBeane said Bojo had a good year but they wanted someone who wanted to be here long-term. (Said Bass is a young guy and that they plan on having Ferguson at LS for a long time.) 

 

So perhaps Bojo didn't want to be here over the long haul?

Yep. 

"We weren't on the same page".

Sounds like Bojo big-timed 'em.

[The Wiz]

1 hour ago, junior12thman92 said:

Interesting comments on the Bojorquez situation.

 

Essentially, McBeane said Bojo had a good year but they wanted someone who wanted to be here long-term. (Said Bass is a young guy and that they plan on having Ferguson at LS for a long time.) 

 

So perhaps Bojo didn't want to be here over the long haul?

He probably knew he wasn't going to get the same amount of playing time if Josh keeps improving.

 

Had his punts almost cut in half from '19 to '20 (79 - 41).

Edited March 18, 2021 by The Wiz

[Cash]

5 minutes ago, junior12thman92 said:

 

 

I don't think you should take too seriously anything they're saying right now. We're through the first wave of FA and the top DL have signed elsewhere. I'm pretty sure they're not going to come out and say anything other than what you mentioned, effectively showing their cards to the rest of the NFL.

 

 

Oh yeah, definitely not taking anything as gospel.  But both of these guys are pretty good at messaging, whether intentionally or unintentionally.  There's more than one "coachspeak" answer for any situation, and the one that BBB/McD actually use does send a message.  They could've focused more on "we're not done improving our team", but instead focused on "we can run with who we have".  Now, maybe they're just trying to make sure no one trades in front of them and takes Travis Etienne.  Or maybe they're planning on running it back unless something unexpected happens.  (Like Etienne being available in the 2nd round, or an elite O-line prospect dropping to 30 or something.)  If it's the latter, then I'm really curious what their plan is to be able to run enough to keep defenses honest.

 

EDIT: At least against certain defenses.  The run game was great some of the time, most notably to close out the Steelers game.  But the Chiefs and a couple other teams basically dared us to run, and shut it down with just their front 4.

Edited March 18, 2021 by Cash

[Cheektowaga Chad]

Do we believe that the press conference today and hold up was about Matt Barkley and Mitch trubisky?

[Not at the table Karlos]

Just now, Cheektowaga Chad said:

Do we believe that the press conference today and hold up was about Matt Barkley and Mitch trubisky?

Seeing how the agreement happened during that time and nothing else has been reported, yes.

[Coach Tuesday]

2 minutes ago, The Wiz said:

He probably knew he wasn't going to get the same amount of playing time if Josh keeps improving.

 

Had his punts almost cut in half from '19 to '20 (79 - 41).

 

He probably wants a short-term contract to have the chance to get paid by a dome team in a few years.  Ridiculous that the media is asking about the punter instead of Ertz.

[BigdaddyinOrlando]

2 minutes ago, Cheektowaga Chad said:

Do we believe that the press conference today and hold up was about Matt Barkley and Mitch trubisky?

Yes

[Cash]

Just now, Coach Tuesday said:

 

He probably wants a short-term contract to have the chance to get paid by a dome team in a few years.  Ridiculous that the media is asking about the punter instead of Ertz.

 

Ertz is under contract with the Eagles, so there's not much the team can say.  The reporters know this, so they don't want to waste their limited time asking questions that won't be answered.

[davefan66]

11 minutes ago, junior12thman92 said:

Interesting comments on the Bojorquez situation.

 

Essentially, McBeane said Bojo had a good year but they wanted someone who wanted to be here long-term. (Said Bass is a young guy and that they plan on having Ferguson at LS for a long time.) 

 

So perhaps Bojo didn't want to be here over the long haul?

Interesting.  Wonder what Bojo’s thinking is?  Money he believes he can get in FA or he just doesn’t like playing in Buffalo.  
 

[Rochesterfan]

11 minutes ago, Coach Tuesday said:

 

He probably wants a short-term contract to have the chance to get paid by a dome team in a few years.  Ridiculous that the media is asking about the punter instead of Ertz.

 

Isn’t Ertz on the Eagles still.  Pretty sure there is not a lot the Bills could say about the situation.  Not sure they could even acknowledge that they had discussions even if approved by the Eagles.

[ColoradoBills]

I do agree with Beane about the "restructures".  He said he will do them if needed but he is not going to mortgage the future.

[Governor]

16 minutes ago, Cheektowaga Chad said:

Do we believe that the press conference today and hold up was about Matt Barkley and Mitch trubisky?

Another phone call likely happened and the price is still too high for Ertz, from what we gather.

[CaptnCoke11]

Just now, ColoradoBills said:

I do agree with Beane about the "restructures".  He said he will do them if needed but he is not going to mortgage the future.

People on here seem to think the money just magically goes away... poof

[Logic]

My main takeaways from the presser:

- Bojorquez big time'd them. It will be interesting to see if any team pays him the money he seems to want.
- It was interesting to hear that they regularly consult with Josh regarding offensive roster moves and additions. 
- Emmanuel Sanders is a guy they've been after for a while. It's clear now that they simply viewed him as an upgrade over Brown, period.
- Both Beane and McDermott believe they already have the pieces in place to improve the run game. Mentioned practice reps and scheme as potential fixes.

- Said they were "very content" with Wallace vs Jackson for the CB2 job, which might (or might not) rule out an early round pick being spent on a CB.
- They wanted Andre Roberts back and simply couldn't afford to pay him what he sought

- Beane is clearly irritated at the cap situation this year (but then, what GM isn't?)
- They seem hesitant to do more restructuring of contracts this year, unlike many of the armchair GMs here and on Twitter.
- They simply don't have much money to spend on big time free agents. Any remaining additions will likely be low cost, bargain bin variety.
- They spoke in pretty vanilla terms about what they'd like to do at tight end and defensive end, which might be "Poker face" stuff. I think they want to add dynamic players at both spots.

Edited March 18, 2021 by Logic

[billsfan89]

6 minutes ago, Process said:

Is seems like McBeane is too content with the 2020 roster. This teams needs upgrades. Hopefully it's just talk and we see some moves that are going to move the needle, because we need them. 

The team is up against the cap due to a cap crunch and managed to retain almost all of their key free agents and replace John Brown and keep some of the team’s depth while still being able to add pieces view the draft and the later stages of free agency where serious bargains could be available.

[ndirish1978]

5 minutes ago, Rochesterfan said:

 

Isn’t Ertz on the Eagles still.  Pretty sure there is not a lot the Bills could say about the situation.  Not sure they could even acknowledge that they had discussions even if approved by the Eagles.

 

Correct, can't talk about players under contract to other teams. 

[LabattBlue]

I still think the off-season needs to revolve around how to beat the Chiefs in the playoffs...

 

1 - Improved pass rush by DL(not addressed yet)

 

2 - Improved offense...if you can’t stop them, you have to outscore them (Brown out, Sanders in. No net gain)

 

3 - Get home field advantage throughout the playoffs and make the Chiefs play here in front of 70,000 diehard fans(TBD).  

[Cash]

15 minutes ago, BTB said:

I still think the off-season needs to revolve around how to beat the Chiefs in the playoffs...

 

1 - Improved pass rush by DL(not addressed yet)

 

2 - Improved offense...if you can’t stop them, you have to outscore them (Brown out, Sanders in. No net gain)

 

3 - Get home field advantage throughout the playoffs and make the Chiefs play here in front of 70,000 diehard fans(TBD).  

 

I tend to agree.  This FO has definitely earned the benefit of the doubt from me, and the offseason is far from over.  So far though, it's hard to argue that this team is better now than they were when they lost to the Chiefs.  Will be very interesting to see what moves are left.  If it is only small stuff, I hope that the media asks them point-blank how they expect the team to get better.  Both Beane & McDermott have been very up front all offseason that you need to always get better, so it's totally a fair question.

[Motorin']

33 minutes ago, davefan66 said:

Interesting.  Wonder what Bojo’s thinking is?  Money he believes he can get in FA or he just doesn’t like playing in Buffalo.  
 

$$$.  Beane ended by saying they weren't in the same ball park with what Bojo was asking for. 

[Hapless Bills Fan]

46 minutes ago, Cash said:

Ertz is under contract with the Eagles, so there's not much the team can say.  The reporters know this, so they don't want to waste their limited time asking questions that won't be answered.

 

Ertz was given permission to seek a trade by the Eagles, so it's legit for other teams to discuss.

 

Would still be a waste of time asking questions that won't be answered

[Shaw66]

24 minutes ago, Logic said:

My main takeaways from the presser:

- Bojorquez big time'd them. It will be interesting to see if any team pays him the money he seems to want.
- It was interesting to hear that they regularly consult with Josh regarding offensive roster moves and additions. 
- Emmanuel Sanders is a guy they've been after for a while. It's clear now that they simply viewed him as an upgrade over Brown, period.
- Both Beane and McDermott believe they already have the pieces in place to improve the run game. Mentioned practice reps and scheme as potential fixes.

- Said they were "very content" with Wallace vs Jackson for the CB2 job, which might (or might not) rule out an early round pick being spent on a CB.
- They wanted Andre Roberts back and simply couldn't afford to pay him what he sought

- Beane is clearly irritated at the cap situation this year (but then, what GM isn't?)
- They seem hesitant to do more restructuring of contracts this year, unlike many of the armchair GMs here and on Twitter.
- They simply don't have much money to spend on big time free agents. Any remaining additions will likely be low cost, bargain bin variety.
- They spoke in pretty vanilla terms about what they'd like to do at tight end and defensive end, which might be "Poker face" stuff. I think they want to add dynamic players at both spots.

Thanks for this great summary.   Really fills in the picture. 

 

They stay true to their philosophy - build for the long term, don't mortgage the future.   Signing Milano, Williams, Feliciano, Wallace says it all.  When they get good players at positions, guys who fit the culture, they're going to count more on individual and team improvement than on chasing after better talent.  So, at TE and DE, they didn't go chasing just anyone because he is better than what the Bills have - they went after Watt because he is a special player, but other than Watt, Bills weren't chasing players.  Opportunities for Knox and Epenesa.   

 

Good for Roberts.   He may be the best in the game, and he doesn't have a lot of time to get paid.   

 

Bills will add three talented players in the first three rounds of the draft, and will sign usual collection of vets later in the spring, some of whom will be contributors in the coming season. 

 

We've said it here for a couple of years now - the off-season is a lot more boring under this regime.  A couple of big surprises every year - Diggs and Trubisky, for example, but no major overhauls. 

 

 

[Hapless Bills Fan]

30 minutes ago, ndirish1978 said:

Correct, can't talk about players under contract to other teams. 

 

 

Yes, you can talk about players under contract who have been given permission to seek a trade.

[NewEra]

36 minutes ago, ColoradoBills said:

I do agree with Beane about the "restructures".  He said he will do them if needed but he is not going to mortgage the future.

Well, I hope he’s not saying this 5 years from now and we still have zero super bowl rings. 

[All I Need is Hope]

I don’t believe that Beane goes into the season with essentially the same team as last year.  I know it’s been discussed many times, but our best window to win it all is now and next 2023, so, I won’t stop believing that we’ll get another offensive weapon and defensive playmaker.  If not, it will be a bit of a buzzkill regarding hope levels for next season.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

29 minutes ago, BTB said:

I still think the off-season needs to revolve around how to beat the Chiefs in the playoffs...

 

1 - Improved pass rush by DL(not addressed yet)

 

2 - Improved offense...if you can’t stop them, you have to outscore them (Brown out, Sanders in. No net gain)

 

3 - Get home field advantage throughout the playoffs and make the Chiefs play here in front of 70,000 diehard fans(TBD).  

 

So as for 1., clearly that's an unmet need

 

2. I don't agree that Brown out, Sanders in is no net gain.  Brown may be faster, but can get canceled by physical corner play.  Sanders is a Beast.  He's actually about the same size but he'll go after it.  I also think Brown struggled with the route options concepts in our playbook - even in his 2nd year in Dabs system there were a handful of miscues - whereas Sanders cut his teeth with secondary route concepts with June Jones in college. 

But for sure, I'd have liked to see more done on offense.

 

3. As far as home field advantage - I think Trubisky was a reaction to that.   I think Josh's shoulder was really bothering him after LV and would have healed faster with a week or 2 off, but that they really didn't want to start Barkley.  I think they figure if he could win 50% of 2 games there instead of racking up the "L" to both Tenn, KC we'd be better off.

 

 

 

 

 

[NoHuddleKelly12]

13 minutes ago, NewEra said:

Well, I hope he’s not saying this 5 years from now and we still have zero super bowl rings. 

Yup--sometimes you have to go all-in to take your best shot at the ring. 

[Hapless Bills Fan]

1 hour ago, Cash said:

McDermott looks deeply unhappy to be having this press conference right now.  This is why I usually keep my camera off during zoom meetings at work!

 

He really does.  I'm glad I wasn't the only one who thought so.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

 

1 hour ago, Cheektowaga Chad said:

Do we believe that the press conference today and hold up was about Matt Barkley and Mitch trubisky?

 

Could be naive of me, but Yes, I do.  I honestly think that these guys believe if there's a choice between showing the respect to let a valued team member know the team is moving on directly and in person vs. making a group of reporters wait, them reporters gonna be asked to wait.

[ColoradoBills]

12 minutes ago, NewEra said:

Well, I hope he’s not saying this 5 years from now and we still have zero super bowl rings. 

 

I don't think that will be.  He already has to restructure someone if not 2 just to get the people signed as of now plus draft picks.

I think it's more "restructure" as you go versus restructure to open a bunch of money and spend it.

[Solomon Grundy]

Did anybody ask about pass rush help during Zoom? Wondering what they’re thoughts are. Are they going draft or still looking at FAs?

[Cheektowaga Chad]

29 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

 

Could be naive of me, but Yes, I do.  I honestly think that these guys believe if there's a choice between showing the respect to let a valued team member know the team is moving on directly and in person vs. making a group of reporters wait, them reporters gonna be asked to wait.

I do believe that the delay was to get a hold of Barkley, what I don't believe is that this conference was initially set up for a state of the Union so to speak 

 

I think there was more to it, could just be a negotiation tactic, telling a team we are done in hopes a price comes down or they expected something else to be completed

 

But to me it was kind of a silly time to have a press conference